ynth‑pop pioneer Gary Numan has revealed the toll decades of loud performances have taken on his health, admitting he is now “90% deaf.”
Speaking on the podcast I’m ADHD! No You’re Not, Numan pointed to the hearing aids he now relies on: “I’ve got hearing aids on… little things there,” he told hosts Paul Whitehouse and Dr. Mine Conkbayir. When Whitehouse joked that his ears were “done” after years of blasting guitars and amplifiers, Numan agreed, noting that his hearing loss even forced him to give up his hobby of display flying.
*The Cars singer also weighed in on the growing debate around Artificial Intelligence in music, making it clear he has no plans to license his catalog to generative platforms. While some artists have suggested embracing AI, Numan remains skeptical: “What you are listening to [with AI] is a learned copy of a human experience. It’s not real.”
He explained that songwriting is too personal to outsource: “I certainly don’t want it to write lyrics because that’s the very essence of what the song is about. Musically, although I struggle and I’m worried all the time whether it’s good enough, it has to be mine.”
Numan predicted that AI‑driven bands may enjoy short‑term novelty, similar to the ABBA Voyage project, but believes audiences will ultimately crave authenticity: “It will go full circle and people will want to go back to sharing a human experience.”
The episode of I’m ADHD! No You’re Not featuring Gary Numan is available on all podcast platforms every Thursday.
